Category: Basketball

The 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament tips-off at the end of August and 5Dimes oddsmakers have released the opening odds on which country will take home the gold. Let’s take a closer look at who has the best odds to be crowned world basketball champions.

Who will win NBA Rookie of the Year honors from the best draft class in a decade?

The last NBA draft that was this good Avatar was in theaters. Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas dominated the radio waves. It was 2009. DeMar DeRozen was picked 9th, Steph Curry 7th, James Harden third and Rookie of the Year Blake Griffen was the top pick.

NBA Rookie of the Year Odds

Fast forward to 2019. The top three selections from the NBA Draft are the top three NBA Rookie of the Year betting picks according to 5Dimes oddsmakers. Let’s take a closer look at the 2019-2020 NBA Rookie of the Year odds and the betting favorites, contenders, sleepers, and long shots.

NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Favorites

The first overall pick Zion Williamson (-230) is the clear cut favorite to be named next season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, followed by No. 2 pick Ja Morant (+500) and No. 3 pick RJ Barrett (+600).

Zion Williamson -230

Ja Morant +500

RJ Barrett +600

We will get a closer look at Williamson and Barrett in the NBA Summer league which Morant is sitting out due to minor knee surgery.

NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Contenders

Darius Garland +1400

De’Andre Hunter +2000

Michael Porter Jr +2000

Jarrett Culver +2500

The fourth and fifth picks lead the pack of NBA Rookie of the year betting contenders according to the odds. However, neither player is projected to have an impact this season. De’Andre Hunter (+2000) was picked fourth by the Lakers, courtesy of the Pelicans Anthony Davis trade, for the Atlanta Hawks who traded up for this rookie. He is expected to have an immediate impact defensively, but defense doesn’t win Rookie of the Year awards. Darius Garland (+1400) was the fifth pick in this year’s draft. He played four full games over the past season before tearing his meniscus. His calling card is pull-up shooting, which he can do with deep range and a quick release. Garland will have to fix his college assist-to-turnover ratio if he wants a shot at Rookie of the Year.

The Timberwolves traded up from No. 11 to No. 6 to pick young guard who can complement their main man, Karl-Anthony Towns. Jarrett Culver (+2500) is the most versatile player in this year’s draft after Zion Williamson. Culver transformed himself from a role player to lead scorer in his last season at Texas Tech. He will play third fiddle to the Towns and Andrew Wiggins which will relieve him of the pressure other top ten picks have going into the season.

NBA Rookie of the Year Betting Sleepers

Cameron Reddish +3500

Coby White +3500

Rui Hachimura +4000

Romeo Langford +5000

PJ Washington +5000

Jaxson Hayes +6500

Brandon Clarke +7500

Sekou Doumbouya +7500

Nassir Little +7500

Keep your eye on Coby White (+3500). I expect Bulls’ head coach Jim Boylen to give White full control of the offense as a rookie. This rookie has the size and skill set to play on- or off-the-ball. He is also a streaky shooter. Add all that up and White is a sleeper pick to win NBA Rookie of the Year.

Your 2019 NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is the heavy favorite to repeat as MVP in 2020 at +305 money line odds. That means a $100 bet on Giannis will pay out $305 if the Greek Freak wins MVP honors in 2020.

James Harden and Stephen Curry are tied as second favorites to win the 2020 MVP award at +550. This year’s NBA Playoffs MVP, Kawhi Leonard (+750), is the fourth favorite to be named the 2020 NBA regular season MVP. LeBron James is next at +800 followed by new teammate, Anthony Davis who pays out 10/1.

The Zion era in the NBA has officially begun. The former Blue Devil and No. 1 overall pick is set to make his debut at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas on July 5th when the New Orleans Pelicans will face the Knickerbockers of New York. Williamson will face former Duke teammate and No. 3 pick R.J. Barrett. No. 2 overall pick Ja Morant will not play in the NBA summer league after going under a minor scope on his right knee to remove a “loose body”.

The other top marquee matchup to mark on your calendar is on July 6, when the Pelicans face the Washington Wizards and No. 9 pick Rui Hachimura who is the first Japanese-born player selected in the first round of the NBA draft. July 8th features speedster and former Tar Heel Coby White facing Williamson for the first time since Zion dropped 31 on North Carolina in the ACC Tournament.

All 30 NBA teams plus the Chinese and Croatian national teams will be playing in Las Vegas.

A week after the Toronto Raptors toppled the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship, the BIG3 basketball league is set to tip-off with plenty of BIG upgrades. Click here for live BIG3 Basetkball odds.

BIG3 Julius Erving Championship Trophy odds

Power +525

Triplets +575

Enemies +575

3 Headed Monsters +625

Aliens +675

3’s Company +675

Trilogy +675

Tri-State +725

Killer 3’s +775

Bivouac +875

Ball Hogs +1300

Ghost Ballers +1300

First, there are FOUR new teams with Aliens, Bivouac, Enemies, and Triplets joining the fun. New teams mean new players, and there are several stars on the list. Former top NBA draft pick Greg Oden will play for Aliens, and joining the Enemies are teammates Gilbert Arenas and Lamar Odom. Moreover, the BIG3 will have games at two different venues for the majority of the regular season.

The BIG3 season tips off this Saturday with six teams playing at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to open the season. Then the other six teams play at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis a day later.

The Toronto Raptors are the 2019 NBA Champions and are third in line to repeat at +900 odds. Leading the NBA sports betting board after acquiring Anthony Davis are the Los Angeles Lakers at +335 to win next season’s title. The Eastern Conference’s Miss Congeniality Milwaukee Bucks (+625) are the second betting favorite. The Golden State Warriors, who were NBA Championship betting favorites for over 1,100 days before halfway through the NBA Finals, are the fifth favorite to win next season’s NBA title.

And now, for the first time in history, Games 1 & 2 of the 2019 NBA Championship Finals are headed back to where it all began.

Finally. 73 years later.

NBA Championship Finals Odds, Schedule & How To Watch

The defending champion and well rested Golden State Warriors will face the Toronto Raptors who are making their first NBA Finals trip after winning the Eastern Conference championship on Saturday night. NBA oddsmakers opened the NBA Finals series price with Golden State favored at -310 to win the 2019 NBA Title. Toronto is a +255 underdog. This is the Warriors 11th trip to the finals and fifth in a row, as they look for a fourth crown in the last five seasons.

Game 1 is Thursday night in Toronto, which will become the first city outside the U.S. to play host to a finals game. Golden State opened as a 1½-point favorite over Toronto. The over/under point total opened at 215½.

The 2019 WNBA season tips off this Friday. Three different teams have won the last three WNBA titles. Will that trend continue? How will Seattle defend the title without its MVP? Can Washington or Phoenix return to the semifinals? Will pre-season favorite, Las Vegas, take the crown as predicted by oddsmakers?

WNBA Title Odds

Las Vegas Aces +250

Washington Mystics +300

Los Angeles Sparks +350

Connecticut Sun +650

Phoenix Mercury +700

Atlanta Dream +800

Seattle Storm +2000

Minnesota Lynx +5000

New York Liberty +8000

Chicago Sky +8000

Dallas Wings +15000

Indiana Fever +15000

The Las Vegas Aces (+250) are the favorites to capture the 2019 WNBA crown followed closely by the Washington Mystics (+300) and Los Angeles Sparks (+350). Last season’s champion Seattle Storm (+2000) will be without star Breanna Stewart (Achilles) who is done for the season.

The Aces are the early betting favorite to win the 2019 WNBA Title after picking Kelsey Plum No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft and acquiring 6-foot-8 center Liz Cambage (23.0 PPG in 2018) from Dallas. For the Mystics most of the core returning from last year including standouts such as 2015 MVP Elena Delle Donne (20.7 PPG) and Kristi Toliver (13.9 PPG) Plus they added forward Emma Meesseman (14.1 PPG in 2017) again. The Sparks also beefed up their title chances by bringing in new coach Derek Fisher, reuniting sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. And when Candace Parker returns from a hamstring injury, this team will be hard to beat.

The Warriors are making their fifth straight trip to the NBA finals this year. Golden State won their fifth straight conference title, the longest streak of all-time, after sweeping the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference.

Next Golden State will face the winner out of the East, either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors. The Bucks lead the series 2 games to 1.

Surprisingly the Warriors will travel to Milwaukee or Toronto for the first two games of the series. Click here for live NBA Playoff odds. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for Thursday, May 30. Can Golden State win their fourth title in five years or will Milwaukee or Toronto claim basketball’s biggest prize?